Yu-Gi-Oh: Altercation
by Miss-DNL
Summary: AU. Long ago the Millennium Items were created by the first Pharaoh who united Egypt under his rule. After some of the High Priests turned on him the Pharaoh had them locked away only to be used as a last resort. Now Aknadin is ruling but the Thief King is going to see it his rule will end. Out in the desert the Ishtars wait for the true ruler. No Yaoi! I don't own Yugioh.
1. Prologue

Yu-Gi-Oh: Altercation

By DNL

Prologue:

Soft footsteps were further silenced by sand, each step taken left imprints of a man's step. The footprints were slowly being swallowed by the desert as the winds pushed back into place. Blood that dotted the landscaped sank into the golden sand below him. He walked over to the body of a commanding officer of the Pharaoh's officer and picked up his satchel. Opening the flap he pulled out a scroll he unrolled it and began to read the words. Slowly a dark toothy grin crept across the man's face. He rolled the scroll back up and walked over to his horse. It was a dark brown with a white diamond shape on the stallion's snout. After placing the scroll in the bag placed on the side of the horse's saddle the man rode out of the rocky area. Leaving behind him the sight of a massacre of the soldiers he had easily slain.

"Heh-heheheh, so their real the Millennium Items, this'll work into my revenge just fine. Now to get my hands on them, it shouldn't be too difficult for me," He said in a slightly gruff yet smooth voice, "The Thief King." Grinning evilly the Thief King broke off into a manic laugh as he rode off towards his next target.

He felt excited as the wind rushed through his pale white hair while he rode his steed. The Thief King hadn't felt like this since he had last broken into the Pharaoh's palace. He grinned with amusement at the memory. The look on the past middle aged Pharaoh when he saw he hadn't come alone was priceless. The 'all powerful' pharaoh was immediately enraged when realized the Thief King had not only taken treasures from his Father's tomb but also his mummified body! A chuckle rumbled in the back of his throat but he kept his mouth shut to avoid swallowing sand that was being brought into the air by the winds.

The Thief King had planned on killing the man he hated so much right then and there but the damned priests had gotten in his way. Even though he had held his own against them all but in the end they had managed to beat him back. He hadn't been defeated, oh no the Thief King wouldn't have been beaten that easily. Somehow the Pharaoh was telling his priests his every plan as soon as he had thought of it! With his plans in the open the priests managed to stop them and then effectively fight back. He gritted his teeth together, his rough hands trembled at his anger as they squeezed the horses reign. The fact he had to retreat was beyond humiliating in his mind. He'd make them pay back double for that.

The Pharaoh himself; however, had a much larger debt to pay. He was the reason the Thief King was the way he was. All of his hatred, anger, all of his suffering he endured during his years was all because of that man. The sight of his face as he sat all high and mighty on his through even if it was only a memory in his mind made his stomach boil from his searing hatred.

The Thief King wouldn't rest or die until that man paid for what he had done. What he had done sixteen years ago. The white haired thief hadn't forgotten he'd never forget what was so clearly etched in his mind. After years training and planning he was finally ready to set his plan in motion. If it didn't work he'd make another and another he'd keep trying for as long as he existed in this world. The Pharaoh was growing old though, time might get to him first but the Thief King wouldn't let that happen. He was HIS to kill nothing or no one else's!

The smell of blood hung thick in the air. It was all he could smell. Its strong sickening smell choked him as he breathed it in. He had to keep moving or IT would catch him. If IT caught him it'd make him see terrible things and torture him again. It always caught him though; in the end it'd always catch him. The best he could do was to make sure it took longer to catch him. If it took him longer to catch him it'd have less time to torment him. That's how it worked.

He pumped his legs trying to run faster but sloshing through who knows what made it harder for him to keep up a good speed. He couldn't see what it was though, not that he really wanted to know, the ground was covered in a thick dark purplish, almost black, mist. He swore the mist was cutting him as he ran because it stung when it brushed up against him. At least he thought it did. He couldn't really figure out much about this place. When he thought he had something figured out something would change.

"Kah-hahaha! Run, run, run little Main Personality run!"

He cringed at that voice that sounded so much like his as it cut through the air blocking out all other noises. The voice that belong to the one that was tormenting him, it was the voice of a maniac. It dripped with insanity that had a deceivingly smooth tone to it. Its voice was usually calm or manic but even when calm it was always insane. Dangerous, it was always dangerous it was never safe to be around it. He, he was stuck with it. They were never apart even as he was running from it. Stall he could only stall until time was up.

He ducked behind a twisted black barked tree. Flinching briefly as he grabbed his shoulder, the rough bark scrapped it drawing a little blood. Nearly everything hurt him in this world. He froze when he heard something sloshing through whatever was covering the ground. Judging by the timing between the steps it was human sized, maybe.

'It has to be that thing…' He thought quickly as he pressed his back up against the tree ignoring the sharp pain of the bark stabbing his back. He licked his tongue against the top of his mouth trying to produce saliva to sooth his dry mouth. He didn't know how long he'd been running. It seemed like forever. He closed his eyes tightly as he listened to it walk past where he was hiding. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest almost in tune with the thing sloshing through the liquid ground.

'Just keep walking, just keep going.' He thought pleadingly, he didn't know how much more of this he could take. It'd been going on for years ever since that day.

He stopped the noise of it walking had stopped. Had it gone? No, he should still hear it moving away. It must have stopped moving hoping to draw him out. Yes, that had to be it. So he'd just stay where he was. Eventually it'd think he wasn't around and he could run away again or they'd both stay like this and time would be up. That'd be even better.

"Come out, Mr. Main Personality~. I know you're there. You should know by now that you can't hide from me when you're here." It called in its deceptively calm tone. He knew it was enjoying this sick little game of its. It loved chasing him down making him suffer before it tortured him further.

"If you come out I promise I won't be so hard on you this time~." It cooed in a sickeningly fake sincere tone. He bet it was probably placing his hand on his heart, which he doubted it had one. There was a pause of possibly a few minutes before it spoke again, "You're not coming out?" It asked before waiting again. He heard a cruel amused chuckle float by.

His lavender purple eyes widened when he realized something. The chuckles sounded close very close. His heart pounded faster than a horse galloping at full speed. He knew he was on the other side of the tree. He wasn't going to check, no, that was too dangerous. Instead he readied himself. Calming his breathing a little he looked forward out into the pitch black woods. He could see the spots of the red sky breaking through the black clouds and trees.

After a quick gulp he pushed himself off the tree and bolted down a barely clear path. He avoided the tree roots he could see with some good foot work. His legs were sore and throbbing from his brief stop but he was too panicked to notice.

"There you are~. Go on, keep running. I'll still catch know matter how far you run~." He heard it say along with a calmly paced stride through the murky ground.

Fear slithered up his spine along with a cold chill. He panicked, 'No, no, no! I won't go through that again!' He screamed to himself as he ran even fast through the sludge. His legs weren't even tan anymore they looked like he'd dipped them in ink. They felt dirty and sticky but that wasn't the issue right now.

He didn't look back, he knew it was there. He knew it'd grin at him like a hungry predator. He had to keep moving. 'Keep moving forward. Just keep running don't stop. Don't ever stop!' He yelled to himself in his mind. If he kept running it wouldn't catch him then time would be up and he wouldn't have to worry about seeing those images.

His small hope was put to rest when he slipped in the sludge. His legs had given out he couldn't run anymore even though he wanted to keep going. His face fell straight into the black sludge covered ground. Coughing roughly he immediately pulled his face out it. It tasted like bile! Foul putrid tasting he spat out much as he could. Not only did it taste back but the smell was rotten. It was like something had died and was in the process of decaying! The smell was too much and he found himself gagging before he eased his nausea by puking. After the ordeal he realized how tired he was and crouched there heaving.

A hand roughly grabbing his clothing that covered him startled him out of his daze and straight into panic. It had caught him and was now dragging him away. He screamed in protest shouting curses at it demanding to be released. It just laughed manically amused by his meaningless threats and continued dragging to a dried up wasteland that had the same crimson blood colored dark sky. The sky was clearer here hardly any clouds.

It cuffed him to a stone slab that stood in the field for no apparent reason what so ever. He snapped his eyes shut knowing what was to come. Same as last time it grabbed his head using its fingers to pull his eye lids open. It hissed a threat swearing to cut his eye lids off if he caught him closing them again. He knew it'd keep its threat and weakly nodded.

Then one by one he came forth with those he cared about. First his brother and sister and killed them leaving their bodies where he could see them. He screamed louder than before yelling heinous curses at it that were equal to what he had done. It just laughed at him and kept killing people in front of him. By the time the last had been slaughter his voice was weak it cracked every time he tried to speak.

He was breathing heavily as it came over to him looking like a complete mad man. It held a sword in its hand, where he got it he didn't know all he knew was that it was nearly completely covered in blood.

"Now," He started softly with a smirk on his lips, "It's your turn main personality."

He thrashed trying to break free but he couldn't the chains were strong as he fear. He couldn't break free he was trapped. All he could do was watch as it drew closer and closer. He tried to pull far away from as he could. He couldn't scream anymore, his voice was gone. His voice came back when the sword was first plunged right in his shoulder joint.

The pain, the pain was all he felt anymore. He didn't feel tired, sick or scared anymore it was just pain. It never ended just when he thought it would it would strike him again with the sword or anything else it could come up with. His screams echoed through the air accompanied by its laughter. It's insane crazed laughter.

"Malik, Malik wake up!"

Malik was jostled awake by his older sister Ishizu who was shaking him by his shoulders. He let out a surprised gasp, "Wha, what?" He looked up at the crystal blue eyes of his older sister, "Ishizu?" He asked questioningly cocking thin platinum blond eyebrow up.

His sister placed a hand on her heard and let out a sigh of relief, "You're okay."

Now he knew what she was panicking about. He sat up in his bed the sheets hugging around his waist, "I was thrashing in my sleep again wasn't I?" Her slow nod affirmed his suspicions. Tired, despite his sleep, and stressed he pulled his fingers through his blond hair that contrasted his bronzed skin. 'How much longer do I have to deal with this?' He asked himself tiredly. He perked as he heard its voice echo through his head.

(Heheheh, as long as I'm here dear main personality~ which will be as long as you live! Kah-hahaha!)

Ishizu frowned when she saw her brother stiffen and shiver out of fear. Silently she prayed to the gods that her brother wouldn't have to suffer much longer.

* * *

**Edited due to way to many errors...**


	2. Chapter 1

Yu-Gi-Oh: Altercation

Yu-Gi-Oh: Altercation

By DNL

Chapter 1: Priest of Anubis

Candles were lit around the chamber of the temple in a way to provide ample lighting for the various people to see. The group was gathered around a human sized stone table each preforming their task to finish the long standing ritual. The smell of death was heavy in the air of the semi-dark room. It was stronger than any other scent of the room that it would have made anyone unused to it possibly vomit. These people; however, were used to it and went along with their task with little to no difficulty. The sound of a chanting from one of the men was heard over the noise of their movements and breathing giving a mysterious mystical feel to the ritual but the cryptic tone of his voice also gave it a dark tone.

The one chanting was the head priest of the temple. He was about sixteen years of age but was very professional with his work. This was what he had been raised to do and as the head of the family the others could do little about it, even if they wanted to. Since he often got his work done and in the correct manner not many complained.

During the ritual he wore a Jackal headdress that represented the god of the dead and mummification, Anubis. It had dark blue eyes that were almost black and golden eye lining markings. The head dress had a snout that stretched outward with real jackal teeth from a skull that had been found. The cowl coming from the back had black and gold stripes with a gold king cobra figure mounted at the front. Wrapped around his mouth and over his nose was a dark purple wrap to help keep the smell out and attribute to the allusion that the head priest was a disciple of Anubis.

While he chanted the others wrapped the body's limbs in linen occasionally placing an appropriate amulet where it belonged. The amulets would help protect the deceased in the afterlife.

Within another hour or so the body was finally wrapped completely head to toe in linen. A couple of priests carried the body off to be laid to rest as Ishizu came into the room stepping aside to the let ones carrying the deceased out of the room. Once they left the room Ishizu went up to the head priest, who turned to her. Lavender eyes that peered out from under the headdress expressed a warm greeting.

"I see you've finished the ritual, brother." She said simply with a smile that expressed her pride in her younger brother. The head priest turned his head slightly and stretched his neck out letting out a slight discomforted grunt.

"I have, but as usual this headdress makes my neck stiff. It's so heavy…" He commented with a tired sigh, "But if I don't do my work the elders with comment on how typical that is for someone young as me." He joked lightly with a slight laugh in his tone.

Ishizu chuckled a little before turning placing her hand on the doorway frame, "Well, you're done for today so you can go change back into your usual clothing Malik. Dinner will be waiting for you when you're finished changing. Don't take long or it'll get cold." She reminded in a motherly tone to her brother as she looked over her shoulder.

"Thank you Ishizu, it'll be good to have something to eat, I'm starving. I'll be there in a few minutes." He took off the jackal headdress holding it carefully; he'd be punished if it were badly damaged, in his arms while she left. Tilting his head back slightly he let out a sigh, today had been a long one for some reason. There were more deaths in Egypt than typical and most of them seemed to be high standing people that were to be mummified or could afford it. Meaning he was busy. He'd had three people mummified today meaning his legs were tired, his back hurt and his throat was sore.

'I must have been on my feet all day.' He thought to himself as he walked to his room not really paying attention to his surroundings. Malik had lived in the temple most of his life he knew his way around blindfolded.

(Poor Mr. Main Personality it must be so hard being the head priest at such a young age. Why not let me out, hmm? Then you can sit back and relax in our soul room.)

Malik paused for a moment registering the voice of his yami, dark half; in his mind as usual it had a slick mocking tone in its voice. It knew what his answer would be no but it still wanted to mock him, to make his life more frustrating. Closing his eyes Malik could picture the being chained up and locked away in the back of his mind. The cold sadistic grin that tilted slightly upward on its face as it leered at him.

Even though it was sealed away unable to take control of his body it still communicated to him through their link. A link that existed not because of a mutual bond shared between them it was more forced than anything. Malik was glad that Rishid had sealed the being away though, even though it still taunted him constantly it was better than it taking over. The last time it did Ishizu was nearly killed. He winced at the memory of him coming out of a black out covered in blood that was not his own. Rishid holding him looking down at him with shock and concern, Ishizu was back up against the wall with some cuts and the bodies… The torn up bloody bodies that it had killed while in control.

(Going down memory lane are we?) It inquired sounding somewhat intrigued. Malik could picture it tilting its head and clearly hear a hum ring through his mind. Again the light side stubbornly didn't respond and continued to his room. Expecting no answer the yami acted as if he had responded while chuckling darkly, it grinned like a mad Cheshire cat. (Oh, I love that memory!) It chimed happily then it suddenly went silent realizing something. Suddenly it added, more angrily, (Well, up until HE sealed me up like this…that is.)

Malik smirked; this was one of those rare times it showed some frustration as it was usually rather calm despite its madness. He entered his room putting down the jackal headdress where it belongs on a pedestal made for it alone. As he switched clothing Malik decided to speak with the yami, 'You're being awfully chatty today…' He noted via mind link.

(Heheh, how nice of you to notice Head Priest, I've been saving up energy so I can torment you for days on end! It'll be fun, kah-hahaha!) Malik saw it toss its head back in as it laughed at him, there was also the sound of chains being rattled from its body's movement.

'I should have guessed as much.' Malik replied dully with a blunt huff as he finished dressing into his more casual clothing. As a priest though he still had a higher standard of clothing than others so it still had a fancy look to it.

(And yet you still ask main personality, this is why I think you're not so smart.) It commented with a snicker in its breath.

Rolling his eyes he left his room heading to the room where he and his brother and sister ate. Sometime they ate with other family members that lived with them at the temple but typically it was him Ishizu and Rishid. The two were the closest to Malik than any of the other family members only they knew of the parasite that lived within him. That meant they were the only two supporting him with this 'curse' of his.

"Greetings Master Malik," Rishid greeted formally with a bow of the head. Malik gave him an amused look smiling slightly. In the past, when his father was alive Rishid had been a servant to his family so he had to refer to them as master especially him and his father. When Malik took over as the head of the family he said that he didn't have to call him master anymore but Rishid continued anyway.

"Greetings to you too brother," Malik said warmly as he sat down across from Rishid giving him a brotherly smile as well. He glanced around the room briefly and saw that nothing had changed of course from the night before when they ate together. The walls were still intact and the statues of Anubis were still present with the fire pans still lit on each side of them. Leaning back in his chair he took in the cooler temperature of the room with ease, "So did everything go as planned today?"

Rishid nodded, "Yes, we managed to get the other two bodies properly buried. If things go as scheduled then the third will be complete early tomorrow."

"Good, excellent work as always Rishid," The younger brother complimented, as if he were the older of the two, he knew he could always count on Rishid to get things done. Partly because he always did but also because of how dedicated he was to serving him and his family. They had taken him in as an orphan leading Rishid to feel he was in debt to them. In a way he was but Malik felt the debt had long been repaid. To Malik he now was a member of the family that could never be replaced.

Malik's face went turned more serious, "How is it going on outside?"

"The Thief King launched a failed attack on the palace a few days ago." Rishid reported in a military manner sitting straight up in his chair.

A devious smirk crept across Malik's face and he tilted his head to the side amused by the news, "Isn't he getting bold~." He picked up a cup of water that had been waiting for him on the table. Tilting it around he watched the water swish around in the cup as he asks another question, "He make it out alive?" His question was one of curiosity not caring. To him the Thief King was another criminal out for payback of some sort. The reason why he wanted the pharaoh dead he wasn't so sure. What made him curious was the fact he'd avoided capture for a little more than five years.

To his surprise Rishid answer was, "He did, apparently his Ka is of the god rank. He managed to hold off the Priests then escape." Malik stared in shock as his older brother went on, "However, what he brought to the palace infuriated the court and the pharaoh…" When Rishid's voice drifted off hesitantly and looked wary to go on caused Malik to eye him curiously. Seeing his expression Rishid gave in and answered, "He dragged the late pharaoh's mummy into the throne room on a rope along with his funeral relics."

Malik gritted his teeth angrily, as a priest of Anubis this was not just a heinous crime to the royal family but to the god Anubis himself. "Infidel…" He hissed venomously gripping his cup with a force that he felt it should shatter in his hand. Malik rest his chin on the palm of his hand and huffed flatly, "Though I shouldn't be so surprised I believe he's defiled tombs before, correct?" Rishid nodded that his brother's statement was correct.

"So he has a god ranked Ka," The head of the Ishtar family looked off at a wall focusing on it trying to picture the spirit creature. Rishid didn't answer he knew Malik just said that out of interest rather than really asking.

The brothers broke out of their silent moment when soft footsteps announced the arrival of their sister. The alluring smell of food told them they that she had arrived with dinner as well. The two boys gave her welcoming smiles as she walked in and placed the food down. When all the plates were set down she sat down as well and began to eat. There was a calm silence between the family members for a while giving them time to enjoy the food that had been prepared. Half way into the meal Ishizu decided to break the silence bringing back the serious tone the brothers had before the meal.

"Malik has your resources found the true heir yet?" She asked in a soft yet very staid tone of voice looking at her brother with a calm expression. Her brother may be a priest but he seemed to have connections in every village and city. Most of it was with loyal priests or market workers and even some caravans.

"We're getting closer to pinpointing his location but so far we don't have any solid clues. We're following a promising lead though so hopefully soon we'll find him." Malik looked at his food thoughtfully as he thought about the subject. The current lead was hopeful and the town was nearby as well. A few days by horse back at the most. It'd be a bit ironic if the person they were looking for was nearby when they were searching everywhere else but if they found him Malik would take it.

Feeling relieved and hopeful Ishizu closed her eyes and smiled, "That's good to hear it's been a while since we've had any truly good news."

Malik nodded slightly, "Yes, it has been a while, hopefully it'll be correct and we'll be able to end this madness." It felt almost awkward for him to say the word 'madness' since he had a psychopath living inside his soul room but it was too late to take it back now. Malik looked at his food for a moment pondering if said crazed killer would go easier on him when he slept tonight. Hearing an amused snicker from the link that connected them he got his answer and went back to eating his dinner.

Ishizu and Rishid glanced at each other for a split second they knew that the youngest sibling was thinking about. Over the years they had learned to spot the small cues that Malik gave off when he was conversing with his darker half, was being frustrated about him or when things were getting worse. It had taken a while since Malik was good at hiding things like that. He himself was good at reading people so he knew what to hide. With time; however, the older siblings had cracked his code and were getting better as time went on.

"Brother is-" Ishizu wasn't able to finish when her brother figured out what she was going to say when he saw the worried look on his sister's face.

"I'm fine Ishizu it's just being an ass." Malik said out of bitter annoyance with his yami but underneath that all he was scared, scared to fall asleep and be stuck in its domain. Somehow it had taken control of his dreams he rarely had control of them anymore. If he was lucky he'd end up in his soul room.

"If you need us don't hesitate to call for us, Master Malik." Rishid calmly accepting his adopted brother's response without a moment's pause. He knew very well that it would take a great deal of effort to get him to change his mind and it would be better if they had a nice peaceful meal.

The blond smiled at his brother, "Thank you Rishid, and I know." The older male smiled back and they all went back to eating quietly.

Ishizu looked down at her food at it without a word. She glance at Rishid for a second, Ishizu had to admit deep down inside she was jealous of him. She was Malik's blood sibling she should be able to calm him with a simple sentence not him. Ishizu wasn't ungrateful in fact she was very glad he could do what he could. It just made her feel…lacking as a sibling. Yes she did a lot to help support her brother but with his biggest problem Ishizu could do little.

She blinked and snapped herself out of her thoughts. Thinking like that would help no one. Even if she could do what Rishid could she'd never abandon her brother she'd support him to the end. Eventually she hoped they could get rid of the monster that was hiding inside him.

After dinner each of them went off to their rooms to rest for the night so they said their good nights and headed to bed. Ishizu stopped by the entrance to her brother's room to check on him before she headed to her room. Peeking inside the room she saw he was sound asleep in his bed. She smiled; it was good to see he was getting some sleep at last. Her worries put to rest she went to her own room.

Malik opened his eyes and saw he was in his soul room that resided in his Ba or soul. His soul room looked like a tomb in the temple of Anubis. A grand statue of the jackal headed god stood tall in the middle of the wall. Several smaller statues of jackals lying down were about the room two of which were on each side of the Anubis statue. There were also various kinds of flames and torches around to keep enough light in the room. However, one part of the room the light didn't reach so well even though there were torches near it.

That was ITS part of the room. After it had been sealed Malik used the chance to create a wall and a door to further keep them apart. This was his soul room after all he could change it as he willed once he figured out how. It reduced the amount of room in the space but that didn't matter. Malik looked around once more feeling cautious. If it had saved up energy why wasn't it using it to torment him and torture him?

Wanting answers he walked slowly over to its section of the room feeling the cold darkness slither over his skin as he near the door that resembled a prison door from a dungeon. Malik grabbed the icy metal handle and pulled the door open then stepped inside leaving the door open just in case. Inside he glared at the being before him whom just grinned back at him despite its current state.

"Heh-heh, my, my I never expected you to drop by my cozy little space. I'm honored~." It sneered with a villainous grin still spread wide across his face. It sat half bent over with its arms cuffed together behind his back then chained to the wall. Another set of cuff and chains were up near his shoulders and another one around his waist to keep him against the wall.

"Cut the act, you knew I was coming. I know you could have dropped me into a nightmare so why didn't you?" Malik hissed venomously baring his teeth to his other half as he lashed an arm out in the air. He could see his own breath as a fine mist when he hissed at the being. It was colder of in its section of the soul room. Since Malik had basically given it to him it could change some minor points of the area, even with the seal, such as the warmth or coldness of the air.

The yami laid the side of its face on its shoulder, "You make it sound like you want to be hunted down and tortured till you wake." It raised its thin blond brows letting out an over dramatic sigh of disappointment, "But you're here so you won't be, how sad."

Clenching a fist Malik growled angrily, "Just give me an answer you damned monster!" He demanded loudly raising his fists up as if getting ready to strike down the chained being.

It wasn't at all intimidated by the act and in fact looked at him with an amused smirk slithering across its lips. Suddenly without any warning it busted out into triumphant laughter, "Kah-Hahahahaha, oh yes Mr. Main Personality get angry! Feed me more of your anger!" It grinned a toothy blood thirsty grin at him. Eyes wide and crazed void of any sanity. "That way when I get free I'll have more than enough power to kill anything in the way and stay in control, Hahahah!"

Malik flinched realizing what had happened and forced himself to calm down, "Answer me." He asked again but with a more even tone.

His yami ceased laughing picking up quickly on his mood change. His crazed expression quickly dulled out to a more bored one. He huffed, "You're no fun." He commented like a pouting child even with the expression to match it.

The light half deadpanned, occasionally his other half got like this for no apparent reason. One minute he'd be a blood thirsty psycho the next he'd act like a child. These little lapses came and went without warning. Some lasted for a moment or so while others could last days, weeks one time it was for a month.

Malik placed the palm of his hand on his face and let out a frustrated groan. He'd never be able to figure this nut job out.

"For the love of the gods, just answer me." He groaned rubbing the bridge of his nose while he tried to make sense of the yami.

"No." It stuck its nose up in the air and continued to pout about its fun ending too quickly. Malik twitched irately, he was just barely keeping his temper under control but the desire to beat the being to a pulp was becoming very tempting at the moment. It looked at him for a moment and seemed to think of something that interested it.

"Would you kill the Thief King if you met him for what he did?" It inquired sounding intrigued.

"Don't change the subject." Malik retorted annoyed with his counterpart.

A quick chuckle slipped out its lips and it smirked smugly, "I just did." It commented and went on before Malik could explode in rage, "Now if you don't feel up to it I could sounds like he could actually be a challenge. In fact why don't we just forget looking for the heir and slaughter the pharaoh and his priests, hmm?" It suggested slyly smirking at his lighter half before grinning evilly, "Then we could take the throne and be pharaoh what do you say?" Seeing Malik wasn't even slightly convince it added, "I promise not to kill our siblings~." It said sounding innocent even attempting puppy eyes that just turned out plain creepy as heck.

Malik shivered, "No!" He said quickly it to stop making the face.

It frowned angrily, "Why not? What's stopping us?" It demanded now shooting Malik a glare this time.

"One their MY siblings not yours, two I have no interest in being pharaoh as it is my duty to serve the heir who is the true pharaoh and lastly we both know we'll need the heir's power to defeat the pharaoh and his priests." Malik explained plainly as he looked at the yami with half open eyes. It went silent knowing its other half was right but did it grudgingly so.

xXx

Ishizu's crystal blue eyes flickered open when she heard a whistling noise drift through the halls of their temple home. Getting up she figured she should go up to the ground floor to check how the weather outside was. Smiling Ishizu realized that she hadn't been woken by her blond brother's cries or by Rishid coming to get her.

'He must not have had a nightmare last night, that's good.' She thought while wearing a peaceful smile as she climbed up the steps. The walls of the main entrance were covered in hieroglyphs that focused around tale about Anubis. Once lit torches had gone out and were waiting to be relit when Ra would die to be reborn again.

Looking outside the temple entranceway she saw that a sandstorm had been whipped out by violent winds. Shu, god of wind and air, must be upset about something at the moment. There was enough sand flying through the air that it was blocking Ishizu's view of anything past the rocky cliff wall that was to the side of the temple.

'I'd better go and get Rishid so he can get the entrance door's closed.' Quickly Ishizu turned and headed downstairs feeling a little bit of sand lightly grazing against her skin.

xXx

Outside the Thief King was wading out the sandstorm by hiding under a rocky outcropping he had his red robe and tan under robe completely covering his body to shield himself further from the sand. Annoyed he muttered curse words to the wind god for getting in his way. His horse was waiting near him for when they were to head out again. It flicked its tail and snorted occasionally while it stood in place occasionally looking out at the sandstorm.

"Damned weather," The Thief King commented bitterly knowing he couldn't do anything about it. If he went out in that kind of whether the only thing he'd accomplish was getting lost. Huffing bluntly he laid his back against the rock wall knowing he'd be waiting for a while until the wind died down.

Having nothing else to do to pass the time effectively he pulled out the scroll that he had taken from the soldier he had killed. Carefully he read the scroll making sure to not miss a single word. What the scroll said greatly interested him especially when he got to the part about the temple he was currently heading to. A wicked grin sliced its way across his face in an upward curve, "So this family of priests is hiding the items from the pharaoh. Meaning I'm not the only one against that pompous fool."

Chuckling lightly enough that the wind nearly drowned it out he looked up at the rock ceiling above him, "This just got a lot more interesting." Still grinning he rubbed his rounded chin with his thumb, "But since their priests I doubt they'd hand over powerful artifacts to the most wanted criminal in Egypt, heheh."

He looked back to the scroll, "Those soldiers were after the map to the items. So the royal pigs don't know where they are yet." His grin turned wickedly dangerous, "If I get my hands on enough of these it'll be simple to murder the Pharaoh and his lap dogs! Then I'll be the most powerful man in Egypt, Heh-heheheheh!"

* * *

**Just more editing before I work on the next chapter :T**


	3. Chapter 2

Yu-Gi-Oh: Altercation

By DNL

Chapter 2: Arrival of the Thief King

The sandstorm had passed several hours before the sun began to set, the wind god Shu had finally been calmed and the wind settled to a calm breeze. Since he'd waited so long already the Thief King decided to wait a little longer till the moon came into the sky. After thieves usually struck at night didn't they? As the Thief King he'd better play the part of the best thief in all of Egypt. Further it'd be easy to slip in unnoticed with the shadows as his ally; the darkness was always a thief's friend. To add to that it wasn't long of a wait, he'd waited most of the day waiting a little longer wouldn't hurt him.

As he waited the Thief King wondered what he'd face from the priests that lived within the temple. From what he figured they had been secretly going against the pharaoh since he was about twelve? He was twenty one now so it had been at least nine years maybe more. They'd kept themselves hidden for quite some time. This meant whoever was leading was smart at least. Since they were priests he might be facing some heka, magic.

A dull snort came from the Thief King as he sat in the same spot he'd been sitting in all day. He'd dealt with magic users before and typically they were used to close combat. If that was what he was going to be up against he'd make short work of them. He knew what would happen, they'd try and keep him at a distance but once he got close that was it for them.

His dull purple eyes looked off towards the direction of the temple, 'If that's all they have then this will be less interesting than I thought. Priests think their special for their magic but their typical at the most, each the same as the last.'

He let out a bored huff if his thoughts were correct this would just be like some of his other heists. The only thing he wasn't sure about was the map would it be in the library? If it was important and needed to be kept away from the pharaoh then it'd be hidden right? The Thief King smirked searching for it might be fun he might even get to interrogate someone. That brought a small grin to his face. So far it look like he was going to be tormenting some religious know-it-all's that just happen to be against the guy he hated as well. A chuckle rumbled in the back of his throat once he got the map he, the mighty Thief King, would have an edge on his enemy. This couldn't go wrong or be difficult for him he was the King of Thieves after all this would be easy no challenge, right?

His eyes narrowed his think white eyebrows furrowed at the sudden uncertainty that flickered in his mind. Lips twitching briefly he shifted a bit were he sat while he tried to figure out where that came from. It was so unlike him to think like that, but something was bugging him.

'It must be those damn items,' He scowled down at the sand beneath his feet. Frown twitching downward he decided that was what was bugging him. The Thief King only knew the legends of the item's terrible dark power. 'How much of the legends are true?' He asked himself. If the old stories were true and the priests had them? Could he go against power that could control a mortal's very soul?

'I'll just have to be more careful can't afford to be reckless this time.' He let out an annoyed 'tch', nose twitched as he let out a snort, "I hate uncertainties…"

Uncertainties meant anything could happen and if anything could happen he might get caught off guard. If that happened he could end up dead then he won't be able to get his revenge! Revenge he needed to get. So; therefore, he couldn't risk having uncertainties in the mix. Yes anything could happen at any time but that was life. What he didn't like was, knowing that there was an uncertainty. Then it was like something bad waiting to happen and he couldn't do anything about it. The Thief King liked to be in control, partly so his could mock this foes knowing he'd win without a doubt.

The moon finally began to rise over the horizon and as it did the Thief King grunted and pushed himself to his feet. As he did his split second of doubt was completely pushed aside and erased with his self-confidence. He had figured out how to deal with this issue. It was simple he'd just stick to sneaking around like a good thief should. The less attention he brought to himself the less chance that he might have to face a Millennium Item, if they had one that is. Then there was the chance that they didn't have one. If they were powerful as he suspected then it wouldn't be easy to use their power. Of course when he got a hold of them the Thief King was sure he was strong enough to use the items. After all he could take on all of the Priests surely he was strong enough for the items. Which came to make him think if he could take on the Priests then most likely he could go against a Millennium Item, yes, of course he could he was the Thief King after all!

"Enough waiting, time to get my hands on that map," He said aloud to no one but himself and his horse. The beast gave a snort that sounded slightly impatient. It had been standing in the same spot for long enough and had been long been ready to go.

Turning towards his destination the Thief King flicked the reigns getting the horse to trot forward. A minute later he flicked it again getting the stead to run ahead. 'I will get that map even if it takes several bodies to get them to cooperate. If they have any items then I'll just take it from them! Nothing will get in the way of my revenge!'

The moment of hesitation was gone for good and it had a snowball's chance in hell of coming back. The Thief King silently cursed himself for having that humiliating moment, 'No matter, it's not happening again.' He told himself, he glared ahead his horse charging forward without slowing down. Sand was kicked up by his horse's hooves causing a small dust trail behind him. The muffled sound of clomping hooves could be barely heard while he rode forward.

By the time he reached the temple the moon was high overhead, he had been farther from it than he had thought, the stars shining around it, together they shined their cold pale light down on the land. Stopping his horse he hopped off the side before guiding it into a darkened cliff side. Leaving it there the Thief King slipped into the dark and approached the temple slowly and carefully keeping his senses alert to any presence other than his own. Footsteps not making a sound he was like a ghost.

His sharp dully purple eyes looked at the temple and everything around it. The temple as of good size not a big as the ones he'd seen in the city but not tiny either. From the scroll he knew that it was actually bigger than it looked there was a large underground section made for the priests to live in. The upper half was for guests and followers of Anubis to come and worship the god. The underground level was what the Thief King was aiming for, there he knew would be his target.

The building itself was embedded into a cliff in fact the building looked like it was carved from the rock itself. Two grand statues of the jackal headed god stood tall at each side of the entrance to the temple.

Not interested in the buildings architecture the Thief King snuck up to the temple wall. Looking carefully at the wall he searched, 'The scroll said there was a secret entrance somewhere around here,' He let out a triumphant breath when his rough fingers slid over a faint space in the wall. Pushing his hand on the space it slid back and activated the secret entrance to slide down allowing entrance. Slipping into the entrance it only took a second for him to spot the lever to close the entrance. Pulling it down the rock door slid upward rather quietly, only faint grinding of the rock was heard.

'Heh-heh, perfect entrance~,' The Thief King thought complimenting himself, a toothy grin splitting across his face. The secret entrance was a dark stairway that went downward at a slightly steep angle, which might have been meant to keep intruders from storming the temple or it was actually an escape route. Whether or not it was an escape route or not didn't matter to the Thief King he was using it to sneak in.

The staircase being steep and dark did make it dangerous though, one wrong step and he'd end up in a world of pain. So to avoid this, the Thief King walked down it slowly and carefully. A few small torches that lined the wall barely kept it lit but it was just enough that he could see the steps. It took longer than expected; the staircase went deeper than he had thought, but eventually the Thief King mad it to the bottom.

Thanks two torches were on each side of what was the hidden entrance to the underground level of the temple. Spotting the leveler the side wall the Thief King made a quick mental note of its location then went up to the outline of the secret entrance and placed his hear on it. Carefully he tapped his knuckles on it letting the sound help him guess how thick it was. By the sound it was just thin enough were he could hear was going on the other side of it. Hearing nothing but air flowing through the thin outline of the entrance he figured it'd be safe to pull the lever.

As with then entrance above ground the one currently in front of the Thief King nearly silently slide down into the ground allowing him in. Before he went into the hall the Thief King carefully peered into the hall. As he suspected no one was around. His sandy color hood already over his odd he tugged it forward just in case. Silently he went into the hall and quickly looked for the closing mechanism for the entrance. If he didn't close it then the priests would know someone broke in.

Spotting a statue of Anubis standing next to the entrance he looked it over finding something to weird about it. All the other ones he could see around the area had their mouths closed but it's was open, baring teeth as well. Its mouth in rang of his reach the Thief King touched the lower jaw and, as he suspected, he was able to close it. Once the top and bottom jaw closed it locked shut with a faint 'click' sound and the entrance closed and was hidden once again.

'Now to begin my search for the map, which way to go first,' He thought to himself. Looking up and down the hall the Thief King decided to go deeper into the underground level and headed down the hall. The underground level was much better lit than the stairway of course but with quick and quiet footstep the Thief King remained undetected by the inhabitants. Further it seemed the more frequently used halls were better lit than others. Various statues and pillars also gave him places to hide.

He had gone down a few halls when he first ran into some of the priests that lived in the temple. The Thief King quickly hid in a darker hall and pressed his back all the way against the wall and waited for them to pass.

"That's the second one we've had to mummify today…" One with a male voice said sounding tired. "As much as I love helping people pass on the smell gets to me, makes it hard to eat after words." He commented sounding ill just by thinking of the rotting smell.

"The spices help with it." A female voice commented helpfully.

"That's true." The male agreed.

The Thief King groaned inwardly while rolling his eyes. He hated it when people started talking to each other like then when he was waiting for them to pass. Sometimes he'd end standing there for half an hour or maybe longer. He'd end up stuck there waiting for them to stop babbling nonsense to each other. On the other hand there was one time when a group ended up arguing then fist fighting each other and he just walked right by them. That was an amusing moment.

Eventually the one's he dubbed morons passed still chatting to each other not knowing a murder was hiding in the hall they passed.

'Finally…' The Thief King thought exasperatedly. He quickly went down the hall they came from once he couldn't hear them anymore.

Soon he came to a room filled with pillars and hieroglyphs decorating the wall. Of course the hieroglyphs were mainly about Anubis others were about something else that the Thief King didn't recognize. Looking closer at the paintings he recognized one figure as the Pharaoh that united Egypt.

'What's he doing here?' He asked himself a brow rose upward. Shaking his head the Thief King decided it was unimportant.

Hearing footsteps he leapt behind a pillar. Staying still he listened closely to the footsteps. Judging by the timing between the steps it was an adult, children's were quicker since their legs were short. Also they tend to rush everywhere. Without warning the footsteps stopped. The Thief King gritted his teeth together.

'Keep moving you fool!' He yelled in his head while his hands gripped the pillar hard enough he thought he'd cause cracks to form.

Not a moment later the person did start to move as if he heard the Thief King's thoughts. As the footsteps faded the Thief King peeked around the pillar and saw a shadow go down the hall he was heading to. A muffled 'tch' slipped through his teeth. Seemed that he had someone to knock out, 'Oh well, I doubt he'll mind a little nap.' He thought to himself as he began to stalk the man.

Like a shadow he followed the man without him knowing. He calmed his breathing to help mask his presence further. Being tall the Thief King had a long gap between his steps so it didn't take long for him to catch up with the shorter man. In a flash he wrapped his arm around his neck and covered his mouth. A muffled shout was heard as a rough gasp from behind the Thief King's hand. Wasting no time he dragged the man back to the room he had been in. The man thrashed every bit of the way, but the Thief King was stronger and younger. It was futile to struggle.

He whispered into the man's ear, "Calm yourself, you're lucky. I'm not going to kill you…if you don't make a noise that is."

Not wanting an answer the Thief King roughly squeezed his arm around the man's throat constricting his air way like a boa constrictor. The man's eyes widened in panic and he tried to pull the Thief King's arm off of his neck. It was too late though and soon he fainted from lack of air. His body falling limp let the Thief King know he had fainted and he dragged the body to a room he had passed.

He stayed there for a moment letting someone pass by then went back to where he had caught the, now out cold, man and resumed his search.

xXx

Malik sat in a room before a statue of his patron god Anubis. This statue was bigger and had parts mad of gold and further it was painted. The statue said in the area of worship that was on the ground level of the temple. With calm breathing he said his mantras to the great jackal headed god. It almost seemed he was in a trance his eyes fixed on the god's statues. Sitting there he enjoys the quiet of the area knowing he is the only one there.

His moment is ruined by a chuckle that vibrates through his mind link with his yami. Sighing he decides to converse with it 'What are you laughing at?' He half mutters through the link.

(Why do you want to know?)

Malik frowns at his clearly mocking tone, he hated that a being who was ten years younger than him was acting like he was so much better than him. A faint smirk formed on his lips. Then again children did think they were all that around that again. Sensing an annoyed wrinkle of emotion from its end of the mind link Malik gave him his answer, 'Because I know you'd ask me anyway.'

A smooth hum echoed through his mind, (Perhaps…) it chimed with a slight chuckle in its voice.

Rolling his eyes Malik continued the conversation, 'So what is it?' He asked slightly irate that he had to play this game with his other half again.

It would usually do this, nearly all the time. It would wait for Malik to ask him something then it'd withhold the information for as long as possible. Making his light half repeatedly ask it over and over to tell him to the point Malik was more than just frustrated. It would go on until Malik was about to yell out loud to tell him which would make him look crazy in front of the others. Only Rishid and Ishizu knew of his yami Malik would risk no one else knowing about his demented other half. There had been more than one occasion since it's sealing that Malik had nearly broke down and screamed out his frustration. Sometimes he wanted to bang his head against the temple wall until his forehead bleed just to try and make it stop. He knew that would accomplish nothing though. It'd ALWAYS be a part of him, nothing would change that.

(Oh come on now, I don't always make you beg.) His dark half taunted knowing fully well that it did do that a lot of the time. (I was just amused by the fact you hadn't noticed that strong dark heka energy running around in the underground level) There was a creepy chipper tone to its voice it almost made Malik shiver uncomfortably.

Malik was unsure if it was telling the truth, lying wasn't uncommon for it, but looked away and tried to pick up any traces of dark soul energy. His eyes widened to their full extent, "H-how did I miss that!?" He asked aloud as he jumped to his feet.

He'd never felt such a Ba before. It was so dark that he believed that it was pure darkness having no light inside it. There was a clear air hatred and anger in it even though they were a floor apart it was so strong that it almost startled Malik. None the less it alerted the head priest that his little 'visitor' didn't have good intentions in store.

(I believe that you missed it because you're a pathetic weakling that can't do anything right without having Rishid holding your hand.) Malik flinched at its harsh words not that he was surprised it had said them but more that he may believe them himself. The blond teen didn't have time to dwell on the words and bolted downstairs.

The first thought was to warn his siblings so he rushed around looking for them. As he was running one of his other family members, a cousin stopped him by calling out his name. Freezing in his track he looked to her. She must have figured out that he knew what was going on by his expression and told him what was going on.

"We found several people knocked and placed in rooms. We think that whoever it is heading to the library judging by the direction the person, or persons, is heading." She said sounding worried and a little frantic.

Malik nodded curtly, "Are they okay? Where are Rishid and Ishizu?" He asked looking around half expecting them to appear as he spoke.

"Their fine," Malik relaxed a little and let her go on, "Ishizu is looking for you, and she found me and told to look upstairs for you. Rishid went to guard the library until you were found." Malik began to worry a little again but he expected that Rishid would pull something like that. At least he knew where he was now, "Go and find Ishizu and tell her to meet me where Rishid is. I have a bad feeling about this intruder. Whoever it is was able to sneak in without us knowing has to have knowledge of this place. If he knows about our abilities this could get bad. Once you find Ishizu get the others and take them up upstairs."

His cousin nodded quickly and then took off in search of Ishizu just as quickly. When she was gone Malik rushed off to go aid his brother but first he stopped by his room. Locked in a chest he took out a golden armguard that off the side of it looked like a golden wing with three feathers. Then he took out a cloth holster and attached it to the sash at was around his waist after checking that it still contained three small stone tablets.

'I'm coming brother, but I hope you won't need my help…' With that he took off to where Rishid would be.

xXx

The Thief King ran briskly down to the end of another hall that opened up to another large room. A seated statue of Anubis sat against a wall with two tall torches on each side of it. In the statues hand was a scepter with a jackal head at the end. The room was well lite leaving only pillars for potential hiding spots. The open area had halls branching off in all directions leaving the Thief King to believe that he as at the center of the underground level. The space was large, big enough that it seemed odd almost, and had a tall ceiling. The Thief King had noticed the last hall had a slope to it allowing for this tall ceiling.

'This place is bigger than I expected…' He thought to himself flatly, 'This might take longer than I expected. Hnn, seems the coast is clear…' Carefully he ventures out into the open area still keeping an eye out for anything that might cause trouble. He stops cold when he hears footsteps and his head snaps to the source of the noise. His body coils up like a cat ready to pounce on its prey and his hand instinctively goes to the sword at his hip.

"That's far enough," The tall well-built Rishid comes out of the dark his golden DiaDhank mounted on his arm ready to be used.

The Thief King is momentarily surprised by the hieroglyphs inscribed on the right side of his face but quickly gets over it. Baring his teeth he gets ready for a fight, "If you value your life you will get out of my way." He narrows his pale purple eyes and let's out an irate growl when the man doesn't move an inch or seem threatened by him, "Fine have it your way, Air Eater!"

Thrusting his arm forward the Thief King reveals his own golden DiaDhank under his sleeve, which opens its wing like side and one of the slots flashes. A whirl of wind suddenly appears and a six armed green creature with somewhat see through violet wings appears. Its body is covered in what looks like a green exoskeleton. Its long tail ends in a claw like seventh limb that is curled in mid-air. The being is only slightly smaller than its summoner and lets out shrill cry and floats before its master not even flapping its decent sized wings.

The Thief King grins when Rishid's eyes go wide spotting his DiaDhank, "A golden DiaDhank…" He looks at the intruder seriously, "They are only given to the Pharaoh or his Priests. How did you get ahold of one?" He gets slightly unsettled by the thief's amused laughter but remains calm and stands his ground.

"H-hahahahah, ah yes that is true," A wicked evil grin splits across his face and he chuckles to himself, "You see I decided to go shopping," His grin grows wider and more crazed. He leers at his opponent, "In the former pharaoh's tomb~. He won't be using it anytime soon so why let it sit there gathering dust in his tomb?" The thief shrugs in a normal fashion to add to his obviously sarcastic point. He smirks at the priest before him as if waiting for him to figure something out.

'The late pharaoh's tomb…is he!?' Rishid's eyes widen briefly once more and he looks at the thief who is still smirking at him. A grim feeling comes over him and he asks, "Who are you tomb robber?" A frown slips onto his face when the thief begins laughing to himself the laugh growing progressively louder and more insane.

"Heh-heheheheh-Hahaha!" The Thief King tosses his head back laughing insanely then looks back at the priest grinning like a demon. His summoned Ka Air eater lets out a clicking snicker seeming to be amused by the moment. Grinning at an upward angle the Thief King announces who he is, "I'm the Great Thief King Akefia Bakura!" As expected by him the priest flinched and a look of worry flashed across his face. Grinning again the Thief King spoke again, "Now let's get on with your death~."

Rishid pushed aside his feelings, "Come forth my spirit beast Sacred Beast of Serket!" A giant crimson colored scorpion emerges from a burst of light behind Rishid. A hissing snarl escapes from its fang filled mouth its red eyes pinned on its green fiend type foe. A golden eye emblem on its back seems to be watching its target though it does no move.

A vaguely interested hum slips from the Thief King's lips, "A sacred beast, huh?" Despite the creatures size Akefia does not seem the least bit intimidated by the creature and merely looks at it as another obstacle.

"Heh-heheh, let's see how you'll deal with this Priest! Air Eater, Air Destroyer!" Akefia points his finger at one of the torches in the room.

Despite not given specific order the fiend understood its orders and quickly fires off an air destroying blast at the torches in the room snuffing out the flames in a flash. Quickly the room fell into near pitch black darkness. Rishid could barely see what was in front of him and the only light was provided by some in the halls but he could no longer see the Thief King's location. His Ka Air Eater was no longer seen either.

Looking around carefully his spirit beast Serket move beside its master to better protect him, it raised its stinger tail higher sensing the threat. Suddenly out of nowhere a loud blast was hear and Rishid's Ka was knocked into a wall! Rishid gasped in pain and held his side. He froze something told him that something was near him. A presence was looming behind him…something big. He heard the Thief King's condescending laugh once more…

XxX

Notes:

1. The Thief King was uncertain (only for a moment) because he's never fought anyone with a Millennium Item and (in this story) the items were created and locked away a long time ago and have faded to legend so what they do could have been made up (of course its not though) That is the only reason if he did know for sure that wouldn't have happened.

2. Yes i'm using one of the Thief King's fan names, Akefia, but only because Ryou shows up later and two Bakura's would be confusing. Bakura is his last name like it is with Ryou and his other fan name is a little harder to spell and I like Akefia better :T

3. As for Air Eater I know its a fiend and not an undead but in the Anime & Manga he didn't have a specific theme other than Diabound, and the others were merely diversions or to protect the tablet. Air Eater does have purpose though he is used to put out flames to help hide him better and fly him to spots.

4. Yes I gave Malik a cousin and yes it is a girl but she will not be doing much else. No worries.


End file.
